Sands of Time
by SavvyofWacko
Summary: Based on "The Mummy", but with a few extra twists. The tragedy of Naraku and Kikyo in Ancient Egypt led to the great adventure in the 1920s for Inuyasha and the gang. Pairings: InuKag, MirSan, KikNar and possibly others.
1. Crime

Chapter 1

"Crime"

"You will not remember what I show you now, and yet I shall awaken memory of love, and crime, and death." –Boris Karloff, "The Mummy"

Long ago in Ancient Egypt, there was a city called Thebes. Thebes was a beautiful place, in the shadow of the Great Pyramids and along the desert jewel of the Nile. It was prosperous, a true city of the living. Thebes was the pride and joy of her Pharaoh, King Onigumo I. It was the homeland of Naraku, Pharaoh's highest priest. It was the prison for Kikyo, the pharaoh's favorite wife. Every day she was painted with ink that never dried completely, so that her skin would smear should any other man touch her.

But that didn't stop love.

For she, Kikyo, was madly in love with Naraku, and he with her. Often would he go into her chambers when the pharaoh was away.

On one such night, they met yet again.

Naraku watched with hooded eyes as she padded through the great double doors. Aside from the patterns of ink, all she wore was a tiny loincloth. He speculated in that moment that perhaps Pharaoh enjoyed tormenting other men by allowing them to see so much of that beautiful body, but forbidding them to touch

In no time at all, there she was, directly in front of him.

Her breath always caught in her chest when she saw him. His long, dark hair was pulled back and the black robe and skirt of his status did little to hide his impressively sculpted torso.

Slowly, she raised a hand and brushed it through his bangs and down, alongside his face. His auburn eyes closed in bliss before opening again and staring passionately into hers. One lean arm went slowly about her waist; the other hand gently cradled her face.

"Mmm… I've missed you, Kikyo," he crooned.

She trembled lightly with pleasure. His rich voice had always done that to her. She softly placed her hands against his chest.

"It has been far too long, my love," Kikyo replied in a heated whisper.

A small smile formed on Naraku's lips before he passionately collided them with hers. Small sounds of pleasure rose from Kikyo's throat as their mouths danced together in harmony. So lost were they in their passions, that they almost didn't hear the Pharaoh knocking at the chamber door.

Slowly, the doors creaked open. Naraku's underlings, hideous varieties of low-level demons, all cowered at Onigumo's feet.

"What are _you_ doing here?" the King asked, his voice filled with confusion and disgust.

They did not answer, nor did the Pharaoh wait for one to be given. He marched forward, deeper into the chamber. In the torchlight he quickly spotted Kikyo, kneeling at her personal shrine to Isis. She looked up at him and smiled softly.

"My lord," she said as she stood with op arms, "Welcome home. We have missed you."

The King smiled back and began to walk towards her, but paused abruptly. He raised a trembling hand to point to the side of her face.

"Who has touched you?" he asked, his voice dangerous and low.

For low and behold, along her cheekbone was a black smear of ink.

A soft footfall came from behind him. The Pharaoh turned.

"Naraku?"

Onigumo was outraged.

"How could you?" he cried, "My priest and my wife? How could you betray me this way?"

He felt a sharp pain in his back and a shout ripped from his throat. Turning, he saw Kikyo holding a bloody dagger.

"I can betray you in this way as well, my king," she said, her tone bordering on amusement.

Another sharp pain tore through him.

Naraku's red eyes stared into his, full of cold hate.

"I've longed to do this for some time, your highness," he spat.

Another stab. Then another. And another.

Onigumo fell, blood dribbling out past his lips.

Naraku's rage was still unsatisfied. He grabbed an oil lantern from Isis' shrine and threw it on the fallen pharaoh, where it shattered.

Soon the screams of a man burning alive filled the once peaceful chamber. Then, another sound.

BANG

BANG

BANG

It was the madji, the sacred bodyguards of the Pharaoh. They had heard his cries, but it was already too late. Now all they could do was apprehend his murderers.

The door was bolted shut, but Naraku and Kikyo knew they didn't have much time.

"Go!" she cried, "Naraku, please. You have to get out of here!"

"No, I won't leave you!" he protested, taking her into his arms. His minions pulled at him, trying to take him to safety. "No!" he yelled, "Get off of me!"

"Naraku, please listen to me."

Kikyo held his face in her hands. The pounding at the door was growing louder.

"I do not fear death," she said, "For I know well enough that you have the power to resurrect me."

"Kikyo…"

Naraku finally let himself be pulled away from her.

"Farewell, my love," she whispered.

"Don't be afraid!" he cried, " I will bring you back to me!"

With that, he flew off into the night and the great wooden doors fell.

Kikyo raised her knife, still wet with the pharaoh's blood. She turned to face the guards in black.

"My body is my own to command."

-And she plunged the knife into her chest.


	2. Punishment

Chapter 2

"Punishment"

In order to resurrect Kikyo, Naraku had his servants break into her crypt to steal her body and the sacred canopic jars in which her organs were stored.

Her mummification had to be completed before he could even attempt the spell, he knew that. All the same, having to wait 70 days nearly drove him to the brink of his already strained psyche. All he could think about was her. Those dark eyes, that soft hair. He found himself lingering on the cherished memories from the handful of times they had made love. Never sleeping, for he was haunted by visions of her. Naraku wasted away. He became a near-skeleton and his once shiny, thick hair dulled and thinned.

He still had a hold on reality, but just with the barest of threads.

The night they recovered her body was one of the most bittersweet experiences of his life. Here she was, his love, beautiful even in death, but stone cold and unable to open her eyes and arms to him once again.

She wouldn't stay that way if he had any say about it.

He and his minions flew swiftly into the desert. Naraku cradled Kikyo's still form in his arms as her rode on his miasma cloud. One of his head servants, a pale boy name Hakudoshi rode up alongside him.

"Don't consider me rude for asking," he said in his whispery voice, "But where are we going, exactly?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Hakudoshi?" Naraku asked. "Where else can someone resurrect the dead?"

"Surely you don't mean—"

"I do mean. We're going to Hamunaptra."

Hamunaptra was not a beautiful city like Thebes. It was dark, and cold. It served its purpose. Hamunaptra was the ancient burial site for the sons of the pharaohs and resting place for the wealth of Egypt.

The City of the Dead.

Down they went, to the center of the city.

In the main chamber of the Great Temple was a pair of stone altars and a bubbling black pool. Naraku set Kikyo down on one of the Altars and brushed a gentle hand through her hair. He motioned for the servants to place the jars in a line alongside her. After a moment of staring at the alabaster jars, his face twisted into one of rage and he stormed off, elsewhere into the city.

Kagura, another one of his minions leaned toward Hakudoshi. She was something of his antithesis, a voluptuous woman with a dark voice and passionate eyes.

"I don't like this," she whispered. "This is a sacred place. Doing shit like this will bring the wrath of the Gods down on our heads. Or at least some terrible luck."

Hakudoshi just chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous Kagura. We'll get what we came for and be on our way."

She made a sour face, not reassured at all.

But now was not the time to bring any doubts to the table, for Naraku had returned. And in his hands was the obsidian-encrusted black Book of the Dead.

All of the demons in the room fell silent.

The great black pool began to burble faster.

The minions took their positions in a circle around the twin altars.

Naraku began to read the words of the spell from the book.

Up. Down. Up. Down. The minions bowed from their knees continuously and chanted in solemn tones along with their master. Louder and louder his voice grew, chanting in the sacred tounge.

Kagura looked up and noticed a smoky specter beginning to form above the black pool. As the ceremony continued, more and more substance began to form on it. Soon, it floated away from the pool, up past the bowing demons, over the five jars of organs, until it slowly settled back into Kikyo's body.

Naraku's voice continued to rise, higher and higher in volume.

The corpse took a shuddering breath and opened it's eyes.

Naraku lifted the book high for the final rites of the spell. Kagura felt it becoming difficult to breathe, like the air was simply too thick for her throat. Looking around, she saw threads of color leaking out from the other demons into the Book of the Dead. Damn that Naraku! He was draining the life from his servants to raise Kikyo!

Kagura was seething in rage. If the bastard didn't have total control over her she'd slice his lily-white throat for this!

She wouldn't have to.

For right as he was speaking the final stanza of the spell, a great "whoosh-whoosh" sound rang out in the chamber. From the shadows, a giant bone boomerang appeared and smacked the black book right out of Naraku's hands!

"No!" he cried, scrambling after it.

But before he could get to it, he was pinned to the ground by two men in the black bodysuits of the Madji. Naraku watched in horror as the black specter of Kikyo's soul was wrenched away from its body and sucked back into the black pool. He could not withhold the cry of outrage as more Madji appeared from the shadows, surrounding and subduing his entourage of demons.

Naraku struggled with all of his might, but the months of pining for his love had weakened him considerably. In his prime he perhaps could have taken on one full madji, but in his withered state he was hardly a match for two. And then there were two black boot-clad feet inches from his nose. He hadn't heard it, but the Madji were trained to be as silent as a padding leopard. He looked up into the face a sharp-nosed man with a black goatee and the great boomerang over his shoulder.

"Ichimaru!" he spat, "I should've seen this coming…"

"Yes you should've, Naraku," he replied calmly. Ichimaru bent down to look Naraku in the eyes.

"You know what you've done," he said. "Your crimes against Egypt, and the Gods shall not go unpunished. Aren't you the high priest? I'm sure you know what the sentence is for blasphemers such as you."

Naraku paled. Of course he knew.

He was to be cursed with the Hom-Dai.

Naraku and his demons were condemned to be mummified alive, but that was only the beginning. The curse would forbid his soul to rest, or his life to completely end. He would feel his tounge and eyes being torn and ripped from his face. He would feel his organs being cut from his abdomen. He would feel the flesh-eating scarabs skittering over and under his skin, devouring the meat of his body. Naraku's only hope was that someone would resurrect him again, for he would arise an inhuman thing, with incredible strength, powers over the sands, and bring with him the legendary 10 plagues.

He did feel all of those things, more vividly than any would care to imagine.

And for over three thousand years, the descendants of Pharaoh's sacred body guard, the Madji, stood by and kept watch over his unholy tomb.


	3. Sand and Blood

**Hey there everybody! I'm sorry that I'm a day late in posting, but I'll try to upload the next chapter a day early to help make up for it. ;) This is the first chapter in relatively modern times, and Inuyasha finally makes his debut! There are also a few other characters who show up, but I'll just let y'all see and guess who they are. There is some swearing in here, but hopefully the rating gave it away. I really hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it. :)**

**-Savvy**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or The Mummy. If I did, I never would've made a fourth mummy movie without Raechel Weiz. You dorks! How could you even try to continue the series without the leading lady? Douchebags...**

Chapter 3

"Sand and Blood"

_Hamunaptra 1918_

Shouts in French rang out in the dry desert air. The tension and fear that always filled the air before battle permeated the atmosphere.

Inuyasha thrived on it.

The thick scents of sweat and gun oil stirred quickness in his blood. A smirk lingered in the corners of his lips as he polished his rifle. The smirk morphed into a look of irritation as he took a hand and smacked the back of his neck. Pulling away, he looked at the source of his annoyance in his hand; a fat, ancient flea.

"Master Inuyasha!" the flea squeaked, "This is no place to waste any time!"

"Feh. Don't you think I know that, Myouga?" he scoffed, taking his position behind a crumbling brick wall alongside a few dozen humans. The force of legionnaires was modest, especially now, when facing a few hundred tuaregs charging in on horseback.

The thundering of the horses' hooves rose along with the ululating cries of their riders. Their guns and scimitars gleamed viciously in the desert sun.

They made quite the intimidating sight, especially to the rather green French legionnaires.

Myouga hopped up and down on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Good news, Master," he said, whiskers quivering in near-panic. "The commanding officer ran off, so it looks like you've just gotten a promotion."

Inuyasha sighed and swore under his breath. He gulped and loosened the button up collar of his tan uniform, before calling out his orders to the men.

"Prenez von positions!"

The men, some hardly more than boys, held their rifles steady from their places behind the walls and monuments of Hamunaptra. Sweat rolled down their skin in beads and almost every hand trembled in fright. The galloping riders drew closer.

"Steady!" Inuyasha commanded, "Steady!"

He looked down at the flea on his shoulder. "You're with me on this one, right?"

Myouga chuckled, or at least tried to. It ended up coming out like a desperate whine. Then, naturally, he scampered off, as only a flea can, crying "Every parasite for himself!"

The silver-haired hanyou rolled his eyes, unsurprised in the highest degree.

"Ready!" he called.

Other horse noises could be heard now. Rapid panting. Nickering.

"Aim!"

Even the humans now could see the rotting teeth and leathery skin of the charging horsemen.

"Fire!"

Shots pop-popped in the heat of the air, like bones cracking in a fire. Some of the riders fell, but it was far too few to make any difference. They were upon the legionnaires far too quickly. The riders' swords rang in the air before hacking away at the hopeless young men, most of them gone before they could even get in a second shot.

Not Inuyasha of course.

"Woah!"

A mounted rider jumped over his section of the wall, practically right over his head. He snarled, and smacked the butt of his rifle across the nearest rider's torso, knocking clean off of his horse. He abandoned the rifle and instead pulled a pair of revolvers from holsters in his jacket. Holding one securely in each hand, he began to back his way through the ruins, picking off the savage horsemen as they came.

_**POP!**_

_**P-POP!**_

_**POP-POP!**_

_**POP!**_

_Click _

_Clicky-click_

"Oh, _shit_!"

The riders were approaching on all sides. Inuyasha had no time. He threw the revolvers to the ground and ran deeper into the bowels of the city. His fighting nature balked at it, but his self-preservation weighed greater than his pride. True, a hanyou could run faster than a horse, but there was only one of him. All around there was nothing but brown stone walls. He turned, his silver ponytail whipping behind him. The exit was blocked by nearly a dozen riders, all held guns, all trained on him.

Inuyasha growled lowly in his chest, backing up slowly until he felt himself hit a surprisingly cold wall. The cl-click of guns being cocked reached his twitching ears.

He braced himself. Bullets wouldn't kill him… probably… but they'd still hurt like nothing else.

Then, suddenly, the horses on which his pursuers were perched whinnied loudly and began to buck and rear. The men yelled at the creatures, trying to bring them back under control. However, not they could stop them from bolting madly away from this place.

Inuyasha slowly relaxed, confusion evident in his eyes. He looked around, but no one was there. A triangular ear twitched as the wind blew through, sounding almost like the whispers of the damned. He stared up, almost entranced, at the crumbling statue of a man with the head of a jackal.

The hairs on the back of his neck began to rise. A savage snarl began building in his chest.

Something about this place was wrong, so very wrong.

The sand flew up wildly in his face, and Inuyasha scrambled off, sputtering sand and senses on high alert. He ran. For reasons unknown even to him, he was suddenly desperate to leave this place far behind.

High above the city, on an overlooking cliff, figures dressed entirely in black observed all in silence.

One, a rather young man, barely more than a boy, sighed in relief.

"It looks like that monster still rests undisturbed, for now."

The other nodded slowly, pensively.

"What about that one?" the youth asked, motioning to the hanyou fleeing the ruined city.

"Leave him be," his companion replied, now revealed to be a young woman. "The desert will take care of him for us."

**a/n: There it was! Hope you liked it! Can you tell who the mysterious figures in black are? Review and I will love you forevah! 8D**


	4. Accidents and Surprises

**Waaaah! I know! I'm sooooo late in updating this thing! I'm sorry to all of my subscribers, but I'm so grateful that none of you sent flames my way because of my delays. These past few months have been absolutely nuts beyond belief. I'll spare you the gory details. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. It really keeps me going. ^^ This chapter was so much fun to write. If I failed on the comedy, feel free to shoot me with a nerf gun. I luff you all so much!**

**-Savvy**

**Disclaimer: I own the Inuyasha and Mummy movies, not the franchises. This is fanfiction, where everything is made up and the plots don't matter! That's right! The plots are just like Freddy v. Jason 2, only with more yaoi! **

Chapter 4

Accidents and Surprises

_Cairo 1921_

_"Ah-choo!"_

Kagome's face scrunched up with another obscenely feminine sneeze.

_"Ah-choo!"_

It sounded more like a squeak. On her it could be called cute, on her brothers it could be called anywhere from hilarious to awkward to downright humiliating. She pushed a lock of jet-black hair behind her ear and rubbed the dust from her eyes. Kagome loved working as a librarian at the museum, really, but she just wished that the library itself wasn't always so dusty…

She adjusted her hold on the books in her arms and began re-shelving them one by one.

_"Maat, Mnemnosyne, Mummification: A Learner's Guide, Mummification: An Expert's Guide. _Oh? What are all of these "A"s doing here? Hmm…"

She scampered down the rows of bookshelves in her modestly long skirt and "practical" shoes. Of course, assuming that practical was synonymous with hideously ugly.

_"Akenaten, Amun-Ra, Ankesenamun, Archery_… Archery…"

Her blue-gray eyes glanced at the long, rectangular box sitting on a nearby table. She took a deep breath and quietly sat the books down as she slowly stepped toward the table. Kagome undid the brass latch of the lid and tipped it back, revealing an ash-wood bow sitting on red silk and a few arrows tied together with a ribbon.

Left. Right. Her eyes darted around the room, pulse fluttering with the fear of being caught. Her small, white hands picked up the bow and strung it with one of those provided in the box. Putting an arrow to the string and shaft of the bow, Kagome took her stance. Heavy-lashed eyes closed as she began her breathing exercises.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

Hold.

Release the arrow.

…

"Oh, _no_!"

Kagome opened her eyes, fearful of what she may or may not have shot. Oh, yes. She shot something all right. The plaster bust Nefertiti that sat as a display in front of one of the suit cases had the arrow, her arrow, going in one ear and out the other. The gray-eyed librarian hurriedly replaced the bow and shut the box. This is what she got for messing with the curator's new acquisitions.

Oh, well. At least she didn't knock down half of the bookcases in the library…

Again…

KA-**THUNK**

"What was that?"

The sound came from her right. Was it in the mummy display area, then? Kagome walked faster out of the library than was really deemed necessary, but not before she stuffed the ruined bust into a nearby storage closet. She had shot enough plaster people to know when removing the arrow was a lost cause.

Stepping slowly into the exhibit, she called out, "Hello?"

There was no response in the dimly-lit room. This part of the museum was closed to visitors during part of the week, and on those days, less than half of the gas lamps in the room were ever turned on. Her shoes softly tapped on the tile floor as she entered.

"Is anyone here?"

She walked through the room slowly, pausing before each exhibit to inspect it.

Achmed? Fine.

Ali? Stony.

Smenkare? Still had that ghastly look on his face, but the tourists ate it up.

Kagome sent a lingering glance to the Stone of Muso, called so because it was written during his reign. According to the Miko Sisterhood of Scholars, the writing on that stone told the exact location of the legendary Book of the Sun. She sighed and turned away.

… Only to feel strong fingers grip at her sides.

"_Eeep_!"

She turned, only to meet the laughing purple eyes of her elder brother.

"Miroku!" she cried, smacking his arms away with her free hand. "What on Earth do you think you're doing here?"

He smirked and pinched her cheek.

"Oh, you know, just bringing a little sunshine and joy to my baby sister's day."

"More likely hiding from the angry husband of a young lady you got too handsy with."

His expression flattened and a hand rose to his heart, as one mortally wounded.

"Ouch. Really, Kagome, I'm hurt."

She turned to place the torch in a nearby holder and put her fingertips to her temples.

"Miroku," she sighed, "I'm not in the mood for this today. I destroyed another plaster bust in the library and the Sisterhood rejected my application again. The rejection letter said I don't have enough experience…"

Miroku smiled sadly and took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him.

"At least you've got me, sis. And, sooner or later, those ugly, old bats are going to realize what they're missing out on."

Kagome smiled and hugged him around the neck.

"Besides," he continued, "I have a little present for you."

She tilted her head back and sighed as he began to dig in his coat pockets.

"Miroku, how many more worthless pieces of junk am I going to have to sell for you? If I wanted to go into that business, I would've stayed home with Gramps. And for that matter-"

He held up a small, black, rectangular box underneath her nose. Hieroglyphs were carved into the sides of it, and Kagome could feel the bumps of them as the box settled into her fingers.

"Where did you-?"

"Not where," her brother interrupted, "But what? I've never found anything real in my whole career as an archeologist, Kaggy. Please, tell me I've found something."

Her fingertips prodded gently until certain spots sunk in, and in doing so, the top of the box popped open with a soft click and a spurt of dust.

"Miroku," Kagome whispered, "I think you've found something."

Inside of that little black box was a folded up piece of papyrus and a glittering, round jewel that flickered pink in the firelight.

**Yay! I made this one extra long, because you all have been so patient. Kudos for those of you who guessed Miroku would show up in this chapter! He makes a great Jonathan, don't ya think? ;3 Critiques, comments, questions, and concerns are all welcome, but you can't give me any if you don't push that little blue link at the bottom of the screen. So do it. Do it like politicians **_**don't**_** do their wives!**


	5. Nothin' But a Good Time

**GAaaah! I'm such a bad author! *smacks self* Bad Savvy! BAD! I'm so grateful for every single reader and reviewer; I don't know how I can make it up to you. I have no excuse for posting this as late as it is, but I hope that you can forgive me. I even made it longer! Some new characters make their own debut in this chapter, and I tried again on the humor. If it sucks, the please let me know. But, on a happier note, last month I reached 1000 hits! XD OHEMGEE! I luff you all so hard! **

Chapter 5

Nothing' But a Good Time

"Oh! Oh, look here! You see this _cartouche_ here? What do you think it is?"

"The-"

"Yes! It's the official royal seal of Onigumo I!"

Kagome and Miroku hovered on either side of the Curator's desk, inspecting the papyrus under a magnifying glass. Kaede sat in between the two and gently nudged Kagome's finger away from the circled collection of symbols.

"Calm thyself, child," she said, "It serves no purpose to get ahead of oneself."

The gray-eyed librarian stepped away from the desk before she began to pace back and forth on the rug.

"I'm sorry, Kaede, but I just get so excited!"

The elderly miko smiled kindly as Miroku left her side to join his sister.

"Two questions," he said, "Who exactly was Onigumo I and-?"

"He was fabulously wealthy, Miroku. _Fabulously_," Kagome interjected. "Onigumo was downright opulent, even as pharaohs go. He was the second king of the 18th dynasty and the son of a war hero. Records show that he was less fond of battle than he was of commerce. An expert tradesman."

The young miko had a light in her eyes. The passion for Ancient Egypt inside of her burned brightly and she all but glowed with these new discoveries. Her fingers went to the small, pink jewel that hung on a thin gold chain about her neck. A heavy feeling settled in Kagome's stomach, counter to her excited butterflies. Something about this small jewel set her instincts on edge. Mikos were supposed to trust their feelings, and she felt, she knew that this jewel was dangerous.

"But that's not all, is it?"

"What?" Kagome jolted out of her musings.

"The name of this pharaoh isn't the only thing on the papyrus, is it?" Miroku asked.

"No. No, there's more."

Kagome walked back to the curator's desk and settled her fingers on the bottom edge of the worn parchment.

"Kaede, I think it's safe to say that this is a set of instructions. Maybe even a map."

The one-eyed woman looked up at her student. "A map to what, child?"

She wet her suddenly dry lips and slowly traced her fingers across the symbols at the bottom of the page.

"_Ha… mun… ap…tra_…"

Miroku's face fell in shock. "_The_ Hamunaptra?" he reverently whispered. "The City of the Dead?"

Kagome nodded, an almost smug grin lighting up her face.

"Now, now," Kaede interrupted. "Let us not jump to conclusions. These symbols could mean something aside from that particular city of the dead. They could refer to a large mausoleum or even to the Valley of the Kings."

"But, Kaede-"

"None of that, dearie. True, you are a good student, but this is an artifact that should be left to the scrutiny of your elders."

The aged miko bent over and slid open a drawer on the side of her desk.

"I shall have this posted tomorrow to the Sisterhood, and that is the end of it."

Kagome sighed and bowed her head slightly in acquiescence. A soft smile rested on Miroku's lips as his eyes glittered and hands twitched softly in his pockets.

…

The Cairo sun beat heavily down on Kagome's favorite wide-brimmed lady's hat as she walked arm-in-arm with her brother.

"Where on earth are we going, Miroku?"

"We, my darling sibling," he said, "Are going to question the man from whom I took this."

In between his index and middle fingers, Miroku held a sheet of papyrus that was yellowed with age. Kagome's eyes widened in shock and outrage.

"Miroku! You-!"

"_Borrowed_ it. Borrowed it with every intention of returning it to its rightful owner… eventually…"

He gave her his most winning smile, but it only fueled her anger. Kagome jerked back on his elbow, forcing him to pause as they walked.

"Miroku!" she cried, "You stole that map from Kaede!"

The violet-eyed archeologist sighed and took his sister's hands in his.

"I steal from nearly everybody. What makes her so different? It's not like I robbed the woman. And _this_," He waved the parchment under her nose. "Is only valuable to those who understand it. See? No harm done."

"No harm…? She is my boss, Miroku!"

"Well, that just puts you in a bit of a nasty position, now doesn't it?"

The librarian sighed and resisted the urge to pound her brother's face in with her handbag. After all, her mother raised her to be a lady. Too bad…

The color drained from her face once her eyes landed upon their destination.

"The…" She gulped. "The Prison? 'Roku? What are we doing here?"

He didn't respond, but raised his hand in greeting to a small, green toad demon that stood at the gate.

"Come, honored guests!" the kappa squeaked. "Welcome to my domain! If you will follow me, I shall lead you to your inmate."

The Higurashi siblings followed. Kagome's grip on her brother tightened as she became the subject of lewd glances and wolf-whistles from the prison yard.

"Miroku," she whisper-whimpered. "How about you tell me what's going on?"

"Well," he began, taking an almost melodramatic sigh, "The gentleman I had, _ahem_, acquired our little puzzle box from had a little altercation with the law shortly after-"

"You picked his pocket."

"Honestly, Kagome, you make it sound so … vulgar when you say that way."

She ran her tongue tightly around the edge of her teeth and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Ever consider that you might be a kleptomaniac?" she asked stiffly.

"Nonsense. I just have cursed hands. Besides, look on the bright side!" he exclaimed. "At least this way he can't run off when we try to question him."

She wasn't soothed, but approached the empty cell in the visitor's area with her head high.

"What has this man been in prison for?" she asked the warden.

"You know, I asked him that earlier when I heard you wanted to see him. And his answer confused me."

"What was it?"

The green kappa's narrow face twisted into an odd mix of confusion and disgust.

"He said that he was just looking for a good time."

**That's it! That's the end of chapter 5 of Sands of Time. ^^ Please be sure to drop by in Chapter 6, where Inuyasha finally meets the Higurashis and the real adventure begins. But for now, spur me on by hitting that little button at the bottom of the screen and leaving a review. Or a flame… :/ I kinda deserve it….**


	6. Bartering

**Hey guys! I know it's been a long hiatus, and no amount of excuses is going to make up for it. I'm just glad to be back and hope you guys like this new installment. ^^ I'm going to keep up with this baby now. A plot bunny has been poking at me for quite some time to pick this up again, so here I am. And though some updates might take time, I am going to finish. Don't give up on me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or The Mummy. I just have some DVDs and time on my hands. And when the hell is the Final Act going to come out in English Dub? Seriously? I NEED IT!**

Kagome and Miroku Higurashi couldn't have told you what they expected to appear from the door leading into the cell before them, but a swearing, silver-haired, dirty wad of youkai was most likely not it. The guards, two bulky red oni with one horn each, dragged him in by the armpits and flung him into the dirt. He rose slowly to his knees and spat, wiping his mouth with his forearm. Then he looked up at his guests, nothing but boredom and utter disinterest written across his face.

'Yellow', Kagome thought. 'I don't think I've ever seen yellow eyes before.'

"Who the fuck are you two?" he sneered, one fang poking out from beneath a dirty lip.

Miroku stepped up to the bars, dragging his sister along with him, and his patented Swindler Smile in place. "I am a missionary, good sir, a humble monk spreading peace and love to the poor and hurting souls in the world. And this," he said with an awkward side-hug, "is my sister, Kagome."

She brushed a sweaty lock of hair from her forehead and smiled tightly.

"How do you do, sir?"

The man looked her up and down slowly, one brow raised. Kagome blushed to the roots of her hair, completely unused to such attention.

"Keh," he scoffed, "I've seen better."

"I beg your pardon?" the Miko squeaked, holding a scandalized hand to her chest.

Something large crashed in the background and the siblings turned to glance at it. The toady prison warden yelled something at the men in that direction in Arabic. He muttered a hurried "Please excuse me," before scuttling off in that direction.

The youkai spat again before asking, "Why are you here, anyway?"

"Well, um… We found something of yours," Kagome said, "It was an odd little puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it."

He looked at them sharply through the bars, for the first time seeming like he was more than a dirty vagabond. The sudden clarity in his eyes made them perfectly aware that he was no animal, but an intelligent and perceptive man.

"No you didn't," he replied. "You came to ask me about Hamunaptra."

Miroku leaned down into the bars.

"How do you know that?"

"Because that's where I found the damn thing, you crooked monk."

Said man's eyes narrowed at the insult and he leaned in closer.

"And how can we be certain you're not lying?"

The youkai's eyebrows drew down in the instant before he punched his fist through the bars and into Miroku's face.

"I ain't a liar. And you ain't no Monk. You're a damn pickpocket," he hissed.

Kagome's curiosity had been piqued, so she stepped over her brother lying in the dirt to approach the bars of the cell and the man within it.

"You mean, you were there? Actually at Hamunaptra? Really?"

Her eyes were shining and a nervous, excited smile was blooming across her lips. He knew what she was. This woman was a scholar, not a treasure-hunter. Come to think, she was kinda cute when she wasn't shivering like a mouse. He smiled slowly and stretched back.

"Yeah, I was there. City of the Dead, yada yada. The whole shebang."

"Could you tell me how to get there?" she asked, leaning in far enough for her hat to slide back against the rusty bars.

"You wanna know?" he asked, "You really wanna know?"

She leaned in even more, blue-gray eyes wide and gleaming with the thirst to know.

"Yes, of course," she whispered.

Without warning or pause, he took a firm hold of her chin and planted his lips against hers through the bars. His lips were dry and chapped, but firm against hers. The contact was brief, but enough for the sensation of a fang's outline to imprint itself upon her.

He pulled back sharply and snarled, "You want it? You get me the fuck out of here!"

After his breach in protocol, the Oni guards wasted no time in cuffing him across the head and dragging him away by his armpits.

"Get me out, wench!" he yelled again before the cell door was shut in his face.

Her brother stood at her side, rubbing at his sore jaw. The warden returned then, cackling with glee as the mysterious youkai was dragged back through the door.

"Where are they taking him?" Kagome asked, placing shaking fingertips over her mouth.

"To be hanged!" the creature laughed, "Apparently, he had a very good time!"

XxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxXxxxxxxxxX

Kagome's stomach was in knots as she sat between her brother and the warden in the stands. The gallows was set in the center of the prison yard and the rows of cells had prisoners chanting and yelling out of all of them. Right before her eyes the silver-haired man who held the secrets to what could be the greatest find in all of history was having a rope fitted about his neck.

Her hands fisted in her skirts as she turned to the toad. "I will give you fifty pounds to save this man's life."

He turned back to her with a chuckle. "Miss, I would pay fifty pounds to watch this half-breed die."

Half-breed? So he was a hanyou? Not a youkai?

"What about one-hundred pounds?"

"Proceed!" he commanded the underlings.

"Two hundred pounds?" she cried.

Meanwhile, below on the gallows, a stack of three toad youkai stood next to the man sentenced to death so the one at the top could fasten the noose.

"Any last requests, slime?" he sneered nasally.

"Yeah," he growled, "Loosen the knot and let me go."

The toad looked confused for a second and halted in his work to yell a question up at his boss in Arabic. Shock and disdain plastered its way across the Warden's face.

"Of course we don't let him go, you imbecile! Now hurry up and hang him already!" he screeched.

The hanyou shrugged. "Worth a try."

Kagome was growing desperate. The clock was ticking and she had no idea what to do.

"Five-hundred pounds?" she offered tentatively.

The warden seemed intrigued by this offer and stood up to lean into her face.

"And what else, Miss?" he leered while licking his lips with a long sticky tongue.

The Miko resisted the urge to vomit and instead slapped him across the face with her handbag. He fell back in an embarrassed heap and cried, "Hang the bastard!"

With a creak and pull, the floor was dropped out beneath the hanyou's feet. He dangled grossly from the rope like a morbid puppet and his face flushed almost purple as he sputtered for air. It would take more than that to break a hanyou's neck.

"Ha ha!" the toad giggled. "How much more satisfying! We can watch the beast strangle to death!"

At this point, Miroku tapped his sister on the shoulder and took her seat next to the warden. He should have never let her barter. Look at where it had gotten them!

"What is his name?" he asked.

"Inuyasha. Fitting, don't you think for a mutt?"

He settled his violet eyes firmly into the Warden's beady ones and said with conviction, "What if I told you that your friend Inuyasha there knows the location to Hamunaptra."

"You lie!" he spat.

"Why would I?" Miroku replied calmly. "It's true. And we'll give you a cut if you let him go."

"I want 50%," he demanded.

"Try 10."

"40."

"20."

"30."

"25 and I don't kill you for flirting with my sister," he countered, leaning into his face.

The toad shook at the murder in the man's eyes and squeaked out, "Cut him down…"

An Oni heard and quickly cut the rope that held Inuyasha swinging from the post and the hanyou plopped ungracefully into the dirt. He breathed deeply and looked up at the stands. That girl from earlier was eagerly hugging her brother and she smiled down at him. He didn't really care how they did it, but all that mattered to him was that he was free.

And he had a bargain to keep.

** And that was Chapter 6! I hope you liked it. ^^ Some new characters are coming in next chapter, and I'll take guesses for who they are. Leave your guesses (or requests) in the reviews along with any critiques or comments! **


	7. Betting Men

**HI GAIS! … Ok, never again. Here is Chapter 7, as promised. Things are starting to pick up a bit in this chapter. ^^ Some of you made guesses as to who certain people were, and some of you might be surprised at who shows up. ;) Read and enjoy, my lovelies!**

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this every single time? I'm not Viz. I'm not Shonen Sunday. I'm not Rumiko Takahashi. I have no claim on either Inuyasha or The Mummy. … And my uncles are lawyers, so COME AT ME BRO!**

The one thing Inuyasha always liked about walking by the river in Cairo was the fact that it made the city's stench seem less potent. There was always a breeze that kept the different scents moving; every time it blew he could scent the reeds and the salty desert-smell that had imprinted itself into his mind since his escape from that damned city all those years ago.

The first thing he did after getting out of prison was gather the money and clothes he had hidden and take a long bath. All that sand in his hair and ears had driven him nuts, and the last thing he wanted was to look like some savage to the two who had saved him from the noose. He owed them for that; if there was one thing he could not stand, it was a debt. Come to think of it, there was a bona fide list of things he couldn't stand. His brother. Perfume. Fleas. Curry. Superior Assholes. Wait, that was his brother again…

He adjusted his duffle bag over his shoulder. The boat he was supposed to meet the siblings at was bound to be around here somewhere. He closed his eyes and sniffed for them; an arduous task with so many people milling about. Inuyasha now strained his ears along with his nose, searching for either one of them.

"He's gross, 'Roku! He's a nasty pervert with anger issues, and I just don't like him!"

Ahh, yes, he thought. That would be the female of the two. What was her name again? Kiki? Kory? It didn't matter; at least now he could find them. That screech of hers sure did carry. He worked his way through the crowd towards them and eventually drew close enough to hear the brother's reaction.

"-his word is his word. He'll show. Dog youkai aren't the kind to go back on things like that."

"_Hanyou_, Miroku."

The emphasis on that word stopped him in his tracks. Inuyasha quickly ducked behind a stack of crates and felt a growl begin to bubble up from his chest. He hadn't taken her for the kind of person to be a racist, but then again, not many people weren't. Still, it burned him more than he'd like to admit to hear her make that a point of distinction.

"Kagome, does it really matter what he is?" the male asked.

Did it matter to her? Not that he'd care, of course; he just wanted to know if he should watch who gave him food on this trip.

"Of course not! It's just that I can't stand improper classification and you know it. Hanyou is just a word, but it's a title, not the contents," she huffed.

The brother snickered. "Kagome, your librarian is showing."

"Oh, hush!"

Inuyasha let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, brushed off his vest, and adjusted the collar of his shirt. Then he paused for a moment as he realized that he was preening for this weird, if rather pretty woman, and immediately stopped. She saved his ass, but that was it. If he wanted to look nice, that would be for himself and no one else.

... He stepped out from behind the crates and worked his way towards the pair again.

"Hey! You lookin' for me?" he called out.

The siblings turned at the sound of his voice. Miroku smiled and clapped him on the back.

"Inuyasha!" he said, "Glad you could make it. We've got ourselves an adventure to start!"

"Yeah. Don't touch me."

Miroku pulled back his hand like it had been burned.

Inuyasha glanced over at the woman. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks seemed rather flushed. The fact that she wouldn't look him in the eye wasn't lost on him. He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You got a problem, lady?" he growled.

"N-no!" she squeaked, tucking back a piece of hair. "M-maybe we should get going..."

She bent over to pick up her suitcase, unknowingly granting him a perfectly good opportunity to ogle her rear. And ogle he did. After all, he was a _guy_. Curves were nice. No harm done in looking, right? Of course right. But she did seem to be straining to pick up the thing.

"Here!" he huffed, grabbing the suitcase out of her hand. "Don't hurt yourself."

She looked up, startled as he effortlessly shouldered the bulky thing.

"Oh," she murmured, "Thank you."

A slow, small smile worked its way across her mouth and into her eyes. Inuyasha's heart made a heavy thud in his chest as he looked away with heated cheeks. He couldn't stare too long - this woman may not have seemed like a whole lot, but a man could get lost in that smile.

"Feh."

Naturally, a horrendous smell coming up the dock ruined the moment. He grimaced, realizing where it came from as the all too familiar source waddled up to the boat.

"Oh, no..." Miroku groaned.

A small, green, toad-like thing lurched up to the river boat with a knapsack on.

"What are you doing here, Jaken?" Inuyasha growled.

The toad pushed its way past him on the gangplank with a snort and superior rising of his nose. It squawked, "That's _Mr_. Jaken to you, half-breed. I'm here to make sure you and your pathetic little humans keep your end of the bargain."

"Feh. I'm not calling you _Mr._ nothin'!"

Jaken slowly looked up at Kagome; starting at her ankles, lingering on her chest, and stopping somewhere around her chin. The blatantly amorous gaze made Inuyasha want to growl and Kagome looked ready to puke.

"Keep a leash on your pet, woman," Jaken purred, although it came through sounding more like a bullfrog's growly gurgle, before trotting off with all the regal bearing of, well, a toad.

"Well," Miroku said, clapping his hands together, "I have little doubt that this trip will prove to be entertaining."

"'Roku?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Inuyasha tried not to smile. _Entertaining_. Sure...

x

That evening found him exploring the decks of the boat. It was nice enough, yet not steeped in luxury. Inuyasha kind of liked that - prim and pampered wasn't really his style anyway. After tucking a pistol under his pillow, he wandered up to where Miroku had found a few men playing cards.

One step onto that deck and he wanted to swear. Loudly.

Wolves. He fuckin' _hated _wolves.

Three of damn things, all decked in leathers, accompanied Miroku at the table. One with glasses and a Mohawk was cutting the deck.

"Hurry it up, Hakkaku! Some of us actually want to play," one whined.

"Dealing is an art form, Ginta. I've said it once, and I'll say it again. You-"

"-Can't rush art. We know, we know!"

The other wolf tipped up the black cowboy hat that had settled over his eyes and sent a glance at the newcomer.

"Care to join the game, Mutt?"

Inuyasha looked over at Miroku, who was looking far too smug with the hand he held. He wouldn't want to face that little cheat in poker for anything.

"Thanks, but no thanks, fleabag." he growled back. "I'm rather attached to my money."

A female wolf lounging on a nearby couch giggled and turned to face them.

"Hear that, Kouga?" she mocked, tossing over a lock of bright red hair, "Sounds to me like our little dog boy is _scared_."

"I don't think so, Ayame."

The wolf tipped his hat back a little farther and smiled crookedly. A fang poked through. "This little puppy was brave enough to go to Hamunaptra. And now? He's brave enough to go back. Give him credit."

Inuyasha half laughed, half growled. "Now _where _did you hear that?"

Seriously... Where did they hear that? If Miroku was running his mouth, so help him Kami…

"I've got sources. _And_ I've got news for you," the wolf said, standing up to look him straight in the eye.

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha asked. "What's that?"

Kouga's voice lowered to a raspy whisper, "You can be as brave as you like, boy, but there's /no/ way you're faster than me. And in the end, all that matters is who got there first. That's gonna be _me_."

Inuyasha pushed in closer. He was now nose-to-nose with the smelly wolf.

"You wanna bet?" he growled.

"Thought you weren't a betting man?"

"Try me."

**So? Tell me what you think! Better? Worse? Surprised? I need to know these things! And be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter. We've got even more new characters coming. ^^ The person who guesses right will get a drabble fic posted in their honor!**


	8. Awkward Bonding

**Alrighty, here's chapter 8! Some of you guessed right for who plays Benny in this version, so congratulations! This is mostly a development chapter, but fear not~ Action is due to come in heavy doses next chapter. ;) So, just read and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the fanfiction, I do not own the characters or concepts of either Inuyasha or The Mummy.**

Kagome had settled on one of the slightly lower decks of the boat shortly after setting up in her room. The cool evening air that wafted along the river was soothing on her skin. Right then, she needed soothing. So she settled down on a table near the railing with a book.

The scent of the reeds and the water trickled past her nose and she found herself assaulted by a memory.

_Without warning or pause, he took a firm hold of her chin and planted his lips against hers through the bars. His lips were dry and chapped, but firm against hers. The contact was brief, but enough for the sensation of a fang's outline to imprint itself upon her. _

He had tasted like forests, like greenery and rain. The kiss hadn't been particularly great, but there was _something _there. Some sort of spark and danger.

Though Kagome was loath to admit it, the number of kisses that she'd had for comparison were… slightly limited. Only one boy had ever really courted her before, and he was a perfectly boring gentleman who only ever kissed her on the cheek. Not that she'd ever tell Inuyasha that.

Speaking of the devil, he was coming around the bend onto her part of the deck. Kagome buried her face into the book in her hands and tried to ignore him.

Naturally, he thwarted her attempts to do so by loudly dropping his heavy duffle bag on the table in front of her.

"Eeep!" she yelped, jumping in her seat.

"Heheh," he chuckled at her. "You need to be more aware of your surroundings. I wouldn't have scared you if you had been paying attention."

"Oh, _please_, Inuyasha. The only thing about you that's scary is your manners. You're just a harmless little puppy."

Inuyasha sputtered, "What?! Me? A-a _puppy_?! _Harmless_? Woman, do you know what I am? I am freaking youkai! I'm dangerous! I could kill you with my pinkie claw!"

"Yes, you are a youkai," she replied, "And I am a Miko. I could kill you just as easily as you could kill me." Kagome smiled. "But I don't want us to come to that. Actually, I'd like us to be friends."

He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Feh," before unrolling a bundle out of his duffle bag. The contents clinked and thudded as the package opened, revealing an obscene number of guns and ammunition. Kagome's eyes widened.

"W-what's all this? This is an archeological expedition, not some battle!"

The silver-haired hanyou plopped onto the seat in front of her and began to assemble a revolver from the parts in front of him.

"Look lady," he said, "There's something out there. I don't know what it is, but it's evil. I don't use that term lightly either."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Alright, first off, my name is Kagome. Say it with me, KA-GO-ME. And all that business about a curse on the place is nonsense. Silly superstition like that is hardly going to hold me back."

"From what? What are you looking for?"

She smiled excitedly and whispered, "A book."  
He looked at her incredulously. "A book?"

"Yes a book. The book of Amun-Ra. It's said to contain all of the spells and incantations from the Old Kingdom. From a historical perspective, it's tremendously important. And I'm personally after it because-"

"Because the dang thing is made of solid gold?"

"How did you know that?" she asked.

He merely shrugged and motioned for her to continue, sharpening a small knife on a stone.

The miko sighed, but kept going. "I want to join the Sisterhood. In order to do that, I have to establish myself as not only an academic scholar, but also in the field."

Inuyasha smirked. "So you're following your lifelong dream and shit?"

"Something like that." Kagome tilted her head and asked, "What about you? Don't you have any dreams like that?"

"Nope," he huffed, assembling one of his revolvers and putting it in a shoulder holster. "I've spent most of my life just trying to survive. Never had time for stuff like dreaming and big goals."

"But surely there's something you want?"

His mouth twisted into a feral grin. "Yeah. I want to be filthy stinking rich. Or a full youkai. Whichever comes first."

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. How typical that he'd want something so material. He was rude and brash, but undeniably attractive. She thought that a young hanyou as handsome as he would want to be surrounded by women. Which reminded her…

"Can I ask you something?  
He shrugged. "You just did, but go ahead."

She scowled. Oh, so now he was going to be a wise guy? The miko crossed her arms and leaned forward. "I want to know why you kissed me that day in the prison."

Inuyasha wiped a cloth along a gun's barrel, bringing the metal to a clean shine. "I dunno," he murmured, "I mean, I was about to die. Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"So you kissed me because you were going to die?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Pretty much."

Kagome shot to her feet and stomped off in a huff, trying to salvage what was left of her dignity. A desperate man stole her first real kiss as his last _fuck you_ to the world, instead of the loving gentleman she always imagined giving it to. It hurt. Oh, it hurt badly…

"What?" he yelled after her, "What did I say?"

Inuyasha frowned at her retreating back. Feh. Women were crazy. What was her problem? Not that he cared, of course. Not that he noticed the hurt and embarrassment in her scent. Because he hadn't. At all.

His musing was shortly interrupted by an all-too-familiar pinching, itchy sensation on his neck. Instinctively, his hand smacked at the feeling, coming away with a flattened insect in his palm.

"Myouga?" he asked it.

The flea popped back out from being flattened and waved a tiny hand. "Master Inuyasha! How good it is to see you again! After we were separated, I searched and searched everywhere for you. You wouldn't believe how worried I was!"

"You're right," he deadpanned, "I wouldn't. Come to think of it, I think I'll just squish you."

"Master Inuyasha!" he cried, "Please, think of my wife!"

"You don't have a wife. You ran out on her."

"Well, maybe more of a stalker, but still! Think of how devastated my death would make her!"

Inuyasha sighed and dropped the flea onto the table, leveling him with his best glare. "And I don't suppose you know who's leading the wolf pack down to Hamunaptra, do you?"

Myouga began to sweat and stutter. "Well, I…"

"So what was the plan?" the hanyou asked. "Lead them out into the desert and let 'em die while you scamper off with the money?"

"Certainly not!" he sputtered. "You overestimate my cruelty, master! … Besides, they only gave me half of the payment. I only get the other half when we return to Cairo. Abandoning them would do me no good."

"Keh. Figures."

Inuyasha went back to cleaning and assembling his weapons, placing some in the various holsters and pockets on his body. Myouga hopped up to his master's nose to look him in the eye.

"But the fact that you're here also begs asking a question," he muttered. "You never believed in Hamunaptra. So why are you going back?"

The hanyou held a finger to the tip of his nose for the flea to climb onto. He nodded over to where Kagome sat off to the side, reading next to the camel psued-stable. She was twisting a lock of hair in her fingers and looked thoroughly engrossed in the pages.

"See that girl over there?" Inuyasha asked.

Myouga nodded.

"She saved my ass from the hangman's noose. I owe her. She wants to go to Hamunaptra, so I'm taking her. That's the only reason why I'm going back."

Leaning in, the flea waggled his little hairy eyebrows.

"I must say, Master Inuyasha," he crooned, "You always did have fine taste in females. She looks quite tasty. Do you think she'd mind if I took a little nibble?"

The hanyou smiled down at the flea sweetly.

"Myouga?"

"Yes, master?"

"Buzz off."

And with that, he flicked the insect off his finger and into the river below.

"Master~," Myouga wailed, "Why must you be so cruel to me?"

He sighed, glad to be gone of at least one annoyance to deal with. Now he should probably deal with the other and go find out how he had made Kagome upset. If she purified him in his sleep, then they'd all be screwed. He looked over to where she had been reading, but she had scampered off somewhere.

Feh. Like he cared.

But right as he was about to sit down again, he noticed a line of wet footprints shining on the deck. Inuyasha's golden eyes widened. How had someone been able to sneak past without leaving a single sound or scent to alert him?

He followed them carefully. Down the hall. Up the stairs. Left down another hall. A scent drifted toward him from one of the rooms and his stomach dropped, realizing where this person was headed.

"Kagome."

**So… Things are heating up, right? ^^ Comments and critiques are welcome, so share away! And be sure to tune in for chapter 9!**


	9. Fire with Fire

**Okey dokey, here's chapter 9! Just to answer a few questions about this, I am not following the exact plot of The Mummy, so certain events won't necessarily happen to their counterparts in this version. I can't tell you everything, because that would just be silly. But I can also tell you that I am planning on doing a version of the Sequel, and no, Shippo is not going to be Inuyasha and Kagome's son. However, he will be appearing in the fic, so fear not kitsune fans! This is a really action-y chapter. I'd really like any helpful critique on that, as I don't feel like a particularly great action writer. Anywho, I hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha and The Mummy are not mine. Aside from DVDs and some random merchandise. I actually bought two seasons of Inuyasha last week and have been in an anime-steeped veg-fest ever since. 83**

The words in Kagome's book were more difficult to read in the dying candlelight, but she was managing well enough. She had changed into a long, pink nightgown and taken her hair down. A soft little tune escaped her lips as she brushed the long black locks down. The gentle pull of the brush was almost soothing enough to make her purr.

Purrs. And growls. She wondered if _he_ could purr.

Her eyes snapped open, cursing her subconscious. Could she not even escape that man in her mind? The flickering of the candle flames reminded her of his eyes, a silver tassel on the curtain reminded her of his hair. That rude, infuriating man was going to drive her insane!

And he didn't care.

That thought made her cringe and put a hand to her chest. Oh, what was the matter with her? A woman as sensible as she had no business being infatuated with some cowboy. She had more important things to concern herself with. Things like getting into the Sisterhood of Mikos.

Things like figuring out the Shikon no Tama.

The gray-eyed young woman looked at the glittering pink jewel on its chain, sitting on a coffee table in the middle of the room. What the significance was of that small little trinket, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Her normally insatiable curiosity was reigned in by her instincts. They told her that thing was going to turn out to be more trouble than it was worth.

Kagome turned her back on the trinket and continued to brush her hair, determined to put all of these unsettling things out of her mind.

_thud _

The small, leather-bound book that she had been reading earlier fell from its place on her vanity. She sighed and made a face. Silly thing, falling off for no reason. Putting her hairbrush down, she bent down to pick it up and looked back into the mirror to continue with her hair.

Except hers wasn't the only face in the glass.

The man behind her was large, and had a strange breathing mask over his face. He grasped her by the throat and turned her toward him, gasping in fright. Her pulse jumped even further when he held the knife in his hand to her pulse. Kagome shook like a leaf in the man's grasp, petrified.

"Where is the map?" the man growled.

A trembling hand pointed to the parchment on her desk. "T-there!"

"And the key? Where is the key?"

She looked at him in confusion. "What key? I don't know about any key!"

The door to her cabin burst open with a bang as Inuyasha stormed in, pistols blazing in his hands.

"Kagome!" he cried, seeing her in the clutches of the masked man. The trail of wet footprints and the strangely muted scent lead him exactly where he was afraid they would go. Whoever this guy was, he didn't know or care. The fact of the matter was that he obviously meant Kagome harm.

And that just wasn't going to happen under his watch.

A candle on the coffee table flickered with a draft. Inuyasha's ears flicked to the direction of a window on the other side of the room and he fired. Another masked figure fell into the room under a spray of bullets. The man who had Kagome threw her to the floor and darted to the map on the coffee table. Realizing what he was after, the hanyou kicked the table over and threw a nearby oil lamp on top of it, sending the whole room into flames. He grabbed Kagome by the arm and hoisted her up beside him, dragging her with him out of the burning room.

She clung tightly to him, shaken by the attack and having watched a man die right before her eyes. Then she remembered.

"Wait!" the Miko cried, jerking on his sleeve. "Why did you do that? We lost the map!"

"Relax, I'm all the map you need. I've got it all up here," he said, tapping his temple with a clawed finger before continuing to drag her away from the most present danger.

His ears and nose started working overtime, picking up the chaos that was happening all over the ship. It seemed like whoever those two masked men were had friends.

_pp-pop!_

He ducked and flattened his ears as a bullet punched a hole in the wall just above his head.

Seems like their friends had guns. He'd better re-load.

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome again and shoved her behind him. "Stay close to me," he told her firmly. "I can't keep you safe if I can't cover you in some way."

She nodded and swallowed nervously. Shoot-outs were never this frightening in the novels she read!

He ran sideways with Kagome between his back and the wall, firing at the masked attackers with accuracy that only a demon could have. Down they went, one after another. His nose twitched again. _Shit._ It seemed like whole boat was burning up. There was only one option left.

The hanyou grabbed the girl by the arm again and dragged her over to a relatively quiet part of the deck. Strangely enough, it seemed to be the same part where he left his duffel bag.

Well, wasn't that convenient?

He turned to her and asked, "Can you swim?"

"What?!"

"Woman, can you swim?" he barked.

"Well, yes, actually. I learned at a very young age, I'll have you know!" she huffed.

"Good to know," he replied, before picking her up bridal style into his arms and dumping her screeching self over the side. That was one less thing he'd have to worry about. That and losing his duffel bag of weapons.

He secured the bag onto his back and prepared himself for the leap down, but an approaching scent and accompanying waddling figure ran up to him before he could make the jump.

"You there! Hanyou!" cried a very sweaty Jaken. "What happened?! What are we going to do!?"

Inuyasha grinned to the side, showing one prominent fang.

"Stay here," he said. "I'll go and… get help."

And with that, he leapt over the edge into the water. A few seconds later, he heard Jaken yelling indignantly at his own stupidity before splashing in after him.

Meanwhile on the upper deck, Miroku found himself barricaded behind a poker table with a pack of trigger-happy wolf youkai.

"Whoo~"

"Yeah!"

"Eat lead, freaks!"

Miroku rolled his eyes at their enthusiasm. _Wolves_. Really.

"Hey, lads? I'm gonna just … go now."

Kouga and the others just continued to shoot and holler as they went. Whether they heard him or not, he couldn't tell. Oh, well.

He ducked down and began to run through the gunfire, running and hiding behind pieces of furniture as he went. Miroku had almost made it to the deck when he heard a terrible screeching coming from behind him.

Turning, he was horrified to see a man burning alive crashing through on of the walls. The masked figure had his arms outstretched, a curved knife in one hand, and a pink jewel on a thin chain in the other. Miroku shook at the man's approach, backing away as the wailing man approached.

_Pop_

_ p-pop_

_ pop_

The man went down before him with the shots, almost brushing against him as he fell. Miroku looked back and saw Ayame tipping her white hat at him in salute. He nodded back with a friendly smile and leapt into the river, swimming to where he saw his sister and Inuyasha on the shore.

As he grew closer and closer to banks, he heard Kagome complaining about something loudly and their guide growling back.

"It's all gone!" she whined. "All of it! My books! The equipment! My _clothes!_"

"Would you shut up?!" Inuyasha snarled back. "I saved your life! See how grateful you are!"

Miroku stumbled up to the rest of the company and smiled. "Well, lets look on the bright side."

She turned and yelled at her brother, "WHAT BRIGHT SIDE?"

Behind her, Inuyasha shrank back. For a small little mouse, she sure had some volume when she was pissed. It was downright scary. Miroku held his hands out in supplication and tried to calm his sister down.

"Now, now. Kagsy dear-"

"Don't you dare _Kagsy dear_ me, 'Roku. I'm in no mood."

"That time of the month already, hmm?"

"You are SO GROSS!"

"So it is?"

"No. And if it were, that would be NONE of your BUSINESS!"

Jaken crawled his way towards the squabbling siblings and stopped at Innuyasha's side_. 'We'll not have to worry about the desert or some curse killing us,' _he thought to himself ', _'These two will end us before anything else gets the chance!'_

The hanyou's eye twitched as the yelling continued. He had just about had enough of this. Marching up to them, he knocked Miroku on the top of his head before picking Kagome up by her arms to face him.

"Enough already!" he growled, shaking her back and forth in his hands.

They both fell silent, Miroku to rub a growing lump and Kagome in shock.

_Psheeee_

The hanyou's ear twitched toward the opposite bank of the river as someone sent out another piercing whistle. He turned to see Kouga, the wolf youkai, lowering his fingers from his lips while holding onto the reigns of a horse with his other hand.

He cupped a palm to his mouth as he called out, "Don't forget that bet, Dog-Breath! First one to the city wins! And it looks like somebody doesn't have any horses! Haha!"

Inuyasha grinned before calling back, "Hey, Rabies! Looks to me like somebody is on the wrong side of the river!"

He turned around to keep walking, but not before hearing the wolf swear colorfully and loudly. The hanyou chuckled to himself.

_Inuyasha: 1_

_ Mange-face: 0_

"So, where are we going, anyway?" Kagome asked. "It's not like we can get there in our current state."

"Someplace you won't like, I'm sure," he scoffed. "And what the hell are you grinning like an idiot for, Mr. Pickpocket?" he snapped at Miroku.

"Oh, no reason," he replied, patting his pocket.

The pocket that held one small, pink jewel on a silver chain.

**So… What didja think? ^^ Good, bad, ugly? I need to know these things! Drop me a review! Also, I'd like to hear who you guys think is coming up in the next chapter. It might not be who you'd expect. ;3**


	10. The Road to Hamunaptra

**Hey everybody! I know, I know… this chapter is about a month late. Things have been getting crazy around here. School is tough and families are crazy, but none of that is new. ^^;; In an attempt to make it up to you, I'll do my best to have the next chapter out in two weeks or so. But sometimes real life gets in the way, so I'll have to ask all of my subscribers to bear with me.**

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, even though there weren't many of you. If you guys didn't like it, please tell me. Critiques are welcome. ^^**

**Anywho, next chapter will debut not one, but THREE new characters. 8D So stay tuned, and enjoy this chapter of Sands of Time!**

Inuyasha was right. Kagome hadn't been overly fond of where they were going. Outwardly, it appeared to be a simple, lovely inn alongside the river. Lit torches glimmered invitingly along the pathway to the front door. Everything was surprisingly clean, given all the sand that surrounded them. To a weary traveler, it seemed like a beacon of safety and comfort.

But she should have been tipped off by all of the random fox statues.

Now, she sat before the fire in a black dress that was given to her by one of the "maids". Miroku sat off to the side with a lady in each arm. Wherever Inuyasha was, she had no idea. One of her eyebrows twitched as the maidens giggled at something her brother had said.

"Oh, really! Mister, you're too much!"

"Please, sir? Could you read my palm too?"

"But of course. Come close to me, young lady, and I shall read the future from your skin."

"I imagine that there are many things you'd like to do with my skin."

Kagome's eyebrow twitched. She loved her brother, but this was getting ridiculous. In an attempt to calm herself, she took a sip of her tea, but spat it out immediately in a spray.

"Something the matter, miss?" one of the girls asked.

"W-what was in that tea?" she sputtered, wiping at her lips and chin.

A pop followed by a fluttering sounded into the room as leaves of paper floated down from the ceiling and into the young ladies' hands.

"Aw, yeah!" one exclaimed, in a particularly masculine voice, "I moved up a rank!"

"Damnit, I wanted more than just one," another whined.

"You won't get more than one for crossdressing and putting piss in tea."

Kagome shot to her feet with a hand to her mouth. Oh, God. She was going to puke. Damn foxes!

As she ran out of the room, her brother yelled after her, "Oh, come on Kagome! Have a sense of humor about it!"

She stormed out and slammed the door behind her, walking briskly through the cool sand to the riverside. There was one patch that was free of papyrus stalks and the Miko knelt down to cup the lukewarm water in her hands.

"You're lucky that I'm around to look after you, lady," a gruff voice from behind her said.

Kagome rolled her eyes and sipped from her hands as daintily as she could.

"You could have warned me about the tea," she hissed.

Inuyasha shrugged and plopped down beside her on the riverbank.

"I thought you'd have enough common sense to not consume anything given to you at a _fox youkai_ inn. Humans quit coming here years ago, so you and your brother are the first action they've seen in decades. It only makes sense that they'd try all sorts of crap. But it's mostly harmless."

She scowled at him and growled, "I drank enchanted pee."

He chuckled a bit at that.

"That's gross, but still harmless."

The miko sighed and looked up at the sky. She had always lived in cities, so she had never seen just how many stars could light the sky. Her eyes traced the constellations that she had memorized from ancient texts and followed the path of the Milky Way. Such a moment made her realize all the experience that she had been lacking by staying as a librarian and not pursuing more field research. Texts and star maps were all well and good, but they couldn't replace the wonder and beauty of a desert sky at night.

"Hello?" Inuyasha asked, waving a clawed hand in her face, "You in there? Looked like you zoned out on me."

"What? Oh, I'm sorry," she muttered with a soft blush on her cheeks. "I was just looking at the stars, is all."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Feh. Crazy wench," he grumbled, laying back with his arms behind his head. "I've spent most of my nights outside, and the sky hasn't changed in all the years I've been around."

Kagome looked at him and set her chin in her hand. "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"Why?"

"Just curious."

The hanyou took a deep breath through his nose, scenting the desert air, the river, and the crazy foxes running around in the inn behind them. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to tell her.

"I was born in 1453, in Setsuna, Japan. Night of the Winter Solstice."

The miko's eyes widened.

"Oh, I… I had no idea. Wow. I can't even imagine some of the things you've seen," she whispered.

"Trust me," he growled, "You wouldn't want to."

Kagome smiled warmly. "I couldn't all have been bad, right?"

"Just mostly," he huffed. "Being a half-breed was never easy, no matter where or when I was. Youkai wanted to eat me and Humans considered me an abomination."

She frowned and leaned in closer, laying a tentative hand on his arm that now lay across his stomach. Her thumb brushed softly back and forth in a soothing motion. His first instinct was to throw her hand off. Contact usually meant pain in his experience, but she was different. This was a touch that didn't hurt. So there he sat, unsure of what to do and slightly uncomfortable yet comforted.

"I… I could say that I'm sorry, but that wouldn't really make sense. Instead… I'd rather say that I'm glad you're here. You've already saved my life once and-"

He cut her off with a snarl, "Woman, get to the point!"

"IWANTTOTRYBEINGFRIENDS!" Kagome squeaked out in one breath.

Inuyasha raised one eyebrow at her.

"I, um… I want to try being friends," she muttered slower, a soft blush rising on her cheeks.

The hanyou smirked and chuckled, rising up from the sand and dusting off his trousers. "Sure. Whatever you want, crazy wench."

Kagome smiled and took his hand as she stood up, wiping off any loose sand on her dress. "Good. Now I expect you to warn me if I start drinking enchanted urine again. That's what friends do, you know," she sassed with a wink.

"Don't push your luck."

The next morning found the travellers packing up their belongings onto camels for the journey. The Kistune of the inn had given them the animals as a gift, seeing as they were good sports about the whole pranking thing and helped them tremendously for rank advancements.

Miroku looked up at his beast and frowned. "I never liked camels," he said. "Filthy, nasty things. They smell, they bite, they spit."

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes. "Get over it, you pansy."

Ignoring the barb, the elder Higurashi turned to him and asked, "Have you seen Jaken anywhere? I couldn't find him at all last night."

The hanyou just shrugged. If the toad had disappeared, that was one less inconvenience for him to worry about. Unfortunately for him, said Kappa came running out of a nearby tent with a fuming Kagome hot on his heels. She swung a stick she had nabbed from somewhere and whacked Jaken soundly on the head.

"Pervert!"

_THWAK_

"Lecher!"

_THWAK_

"STUPID PEEPING TOAD!"

Miroku ran up to the two and gently removed the stick from his sister's hand. "What's the meaning of all this?" he asked.

"I'll tell you what," Kagome cried, "This little creep snuck into the tent to watch me change!"

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes at them. But, he had to admit, she sure filled out those khaki trousers nicely and that blouse was one button away from being scandalous. Not that he thought about her like that, of course.

"Would you quit wasting time?" he snapped. "We've dallied around enough, and there's a city to find."

"Jeeze," Kagome huffed, settling a wide-brimmed hat on her head, "Who spat in your breakfast this morning?"

But they all loaded up onto their beasts and headed out into the sands, urging their beasts forward with cries of "yah!" and "hut-hut". So they went, following their leader without complaint.

Well, mostly without complaint.

"Inuyasha, can we please take a break?"

"No."

"Pretty please?" the miko whined.

"No!" he snarled.

"But, I have to _go_…" she hissed.

The hanyou slid a hand down his face in a long-suffering gesture.

"Why didn't you go before we left?"

"Well, I didn't have to GO then!"

"Whatever," he scoffed, "Just go behind a bush or something."

"Inuyasha?"

"WHAT NOW?"

Kagome blushed and whispered, "There aren't any bushes."

Miroku rode up to the two, bringing his camel along side theirs. "What seems to be the problem?" he inquired politely.

"Your sister," Inuyasha growled, pointing an accusatory finger, "Is a dumbass who waited until we were out in the open desert to take a piss."

"It's not my fault!" she snapped.

Seeing as things were getting out of hand, Miroku thought it best to intervene. "How about we just let her go and all of us gentlemen will keep our backs politely turned?"

"Keh. Fine."

Ten minutes later found them back on the trail, bladders empty, and peace restored to the group.

Well, mostly restored.

"Jaken, you CAN'T SING!"

"Hush, you filthy ingrate! What could you know about musical tastes?!"

"If you don't SHUT UP your ASS is going to musically taste MY FOOT!"

They rode on through the night, lulled to sleep by the loping gait of the camels. Inuyasha led them along a path that seemed invisible to them all, but he was certain of the way. While they slept, he kept guard. One ear was tuned to the yipping of the jackals behind them, and one eye spotted the shadowy figures that ducked in and out of sight along the nearby cliff face. Early morning, even before the sun had risen, they found themselves facing an open plateau of desert with a cliff to their backs. From the other side from whence they had come, dust stirred, signaling the approach of the Wolves and their party on horseback.

"Hey there, dog-boy!" Kouga yelled, "Surprised to see you here!"

The hanyou just scoffed and showed the ookami his middle finger.

"Remember that bet, hanyou!" Ayame teased. "It's first one to the city, remember?"

Kagome leaned over and whispered to her brother, "Bet? What bet?"

Miroku blanched and said nothing. Whatever that bet had been, he sure didn't seem to like it.

"What are we waiting around for?" Hakkaku whined.

Myouga chose that moment to leap up from the fur on Kouga's horse and said simply, "You'll see, my friend. You'll see."

"See what?" the miko asked.

Inuyasha grinned, one gleaming fang peeking out from his lips. "Give it a minute."

Before them, the sun began to rise over the edge of the plateau. The air shimmered briefly, as if a mirage, then shapes began to appear out of the glimmer. Kagome squinted and could make out the rectangles of buildings, the pillars of temples, and an obelisk that jutted proudly into the sky. Her breath caught in her chest. Beside her, Miroku, in a similar state of awe, whispered a single word.

"Hamunaptra."

**So, tell me what you think! Am I going too fast, too slow? And I'd like to see you guys guess who the next characters to appear will be, and in what roles! I am deviating from the movie a fair bit for two of them, but I still want you to guess. ^^**


	11. (Mostly) Unwanted Surprises

**So… yeah. Totally not two weeks. But, I made an effort to make this one of a decent length! There are some new characters introduced and the romance is starting to build~ Some more action should be popping up soon, so fear not. Again, a reminder, I am not following the exact plot of the movie. There are quite a few things that I'm taking liberties with. So don't worry about the fate of this or that person. Chances are that it'll end up being completely different than what you expect. ;) Some people have made comments also about wanting Inuyasha to have a sword instead of guns. Please please please be patient. Tessaiga will make an appearance, so have no fear! Without further ado, I give you chapter 11 of Sands of Time!**

The moment the city became visible gleaming in the sunlight, Inuyasha and Kouga both dismounted and took off on foot toward it, a massive cloud of dust following behind them. The wolf youkai was faster, but not by much. He grinned wolfishly at the hanyou, positive that he'd have victory over the stupid dog. And when he won, he'd claim his prize: A kiss from the fair Kagome.

Inuyasha panted as he ran, watching in dismay as Kouga pulled ahead. His instincts raged.

His mind flashed back to that moment on the boat.

"_You wanna bet?" he growled. _

_ "Thought you weren't a betting man?"_

_ "Try me."_

_ "Fine," the wolf smirked. "If I win, I'll get to kiss his sister," he said, thumbing in Miroku's direction._

_ "Wait, what?" said monk squeaked._

_ "Fine," Inuyasha murmured. "But if I win, you let me have one free punch to your face that I can call in at any time. And you'll take it without running away like a little pansy. Deal?"_

_ The hanyou stuck out his hand. Kouga looked at it before smirking and gripping it tightly and shaking._

_ "Deal, muttface."_

There was no way in hell that he'd let that nasty, mangy wolf beat him in anything, much less kiss the girl he had his eye on! Not pausing to ponder the fact that he did indeed have his eye on Kagome, his strides lengthened and his pulse pounded in his ears as he tried desperately to shorten the wolf's lead. Kouga looked over his shoulder and laughed at the dog trailing behind him.

"Ha-Ha!" he taunted, "It sucks to be y-"

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for Inuyasha, while turning to rub his victory in his rival's face, Kouga had failed to notice a large stone sticking up out of the sand and tripped over it, faceplanting firmly into the sand. Inuyasha grinned and made a point of stepping on the wolf as he ran over and past him, right through the gate of the city.

"Wooo-hoo~!" He howled in victory, leaping into the air. Kagome and Miroku followed at a more sedate pace astride their camels. Jaken came along too; struggling not only to guide his own beast, but also to lead the hanyou's abandoned one alongside him.

X

After setting up camp, Kagome directed the group towards a site where she wanted to start digging. She stood at the top of an opening that led into a dark chamber, polishing a round mirror that had somehow managed to remain on its stand after thousands of years. Excitement bubbled in her gut. She was about to go into a real-live site! At HAMUNAPTRA! Her inner scholar was squealing and bouncing with joy and anticipation. This is what she had dreamed about her whole life, and she could hardly wait.

Inuyasha trotted up to her and looked at her oddly.

"What are these old mirrors for?" he asked.

"Not just old, _ancient_."

"Well, in my experience, old people tend to get their knickers in a twist when they get called ancient," he sassed with a grin.

Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Can I help you with something, Inuyasha?"

Much to her surprise he blushed a little bit and stuttered, "I, um, I have something for you. Here."

The hanyou thrust a brown leather parcel into her hands. Kagome took it with a look of bemusement and slight shock.

"What's this?"

"It's uh, it's just a little something I borrowed from our flea-bitten friends over there," he grunted, nodding towards the wolves who stood off to one end of the site, not really doing much beyond sitting around.

"Oi," Inuyasha called, "Are you gonna just sit around all day?"

Hakkaku stopped polishing his glasses and yelled back, "We're waiting for our boss!"

Miroku chose that moment to join them and looked at his sister in confusion.

"Boss?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched atop his head as he heard the sound of approaching hooves coming over the dunes. A dust cloud rose into the sky as a long caravan appeared, lead by a pair of camels with covered litters on their back. The hanyou's nose twitched. Something smelled familiar in one of those litters. The realization struck him like a cattle prod.

_Oh,_ hell _no._

Kagome settled a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked?

He paused for a moment, suddenly aware that he had tensed and started to growl. Was he alright? Honestly, no. Inuyasha was about to be forced into facing someone from his past who he had no desire to see ever again. But he would humor Kagome and not make her worry.

"Yeah," he murmured, "I'm fine."

The caravan had made its way closer to the city and was now starting to dissipate and settle inside the main gate. The leading pair of camels halted in front of the four wolf youkai. A white hand pulled the front curtain aside and revealed a man who was impossibly beautiful, or at least would be were his eyes not so cold.

White hair, pulled back behind his neck, fell to below his hips in silky waves. He was dressed sharply in a white and khaki suit and his face was marked with twin magenta stripes on his cheeks and a deep blue crescent on his forehead.

Kouga walked up to the man and bowed shallowly. "Sesshomaru," he greeted.

The youkai nodded in acknowledgement. His small, perfectly shaped nose twitched and a grimace warped his face as he turned to face the other group off to the side.

Inuyasha's growling picked up, his rising youki lifting his hair and the sand at his feet in an alien wind. Kagome was startled by this and felt her own aura rising in response. With her senses forced open like that, she could suddenly sense the power of the new stranger, and it sent chills down her spine. Whoever this Sesshomaru was, he was one mighty youkai.

Floating down from his camel, the man called to them, but in a way that made it seem like he hardly raised his voice. "I had hoped you would have perished by your own foolishness by now, _little brother_."

The audience stood still and silent in shock. Inuyasha snarled in reply, "If you want a fight, _fluffy,_ I'd be glad to oblige. But I'm sure we both have more important things to do."

"You're right," Sesshomaru muttered darkly, "I have better things to do with my time than deal with your idiocy. But fear not, I may clean the Earth of your stain soon enough."

The youkai turned on his heel in a blatant show of disdain, choosing to ignore his brother for the time being and instead focusing on the pack of wolves and mass of human workers before him.

Miroku blinked, stunned at the turn of events.

"Well," he said, "That was unexpected."

"You're telling me!" his sister concurred. "All this excitement is making me thirsty. I'm going to get some water right quick, ok?"

"Whatever," Inuyasha growled, still on edge and aggressive from the encounter.

Kagome walked over to where her camel was tied and dug through her saddlebags for the water sack she had filled before they left. Setting the parcel that Inuyasha had given her down on the ground, she began moving things around. A strange bit of soft orange fabric stuck out from beneath one of the blankets.

_Hmm, what's this?_

Her hand gripped the orange thing and tugged, pulling out what looked to be a small child with the hindquarters of a fox, complete with tail and paws. The child, who had apparently been sleeping until this point, cried out in alarm. Startled, Kagome dropped him and screamed.

"What? What's wrong?" Inuyasha yelled, bounding in at the sound of her cry.

The little boy sat up and rubbed the top of his head where he had been dropped. "Owww… You didn't have to drop me."

"Feh," the hanyou grumbled. "You got yourself a stowaway kitsune kid. Little stinker must have hopped on back at the Inn."

Now that her shock had faded away, Kagome could closer inspect the unexpected guest. His hair was fluffy and red, tied back in with a little blue ribbon. He was obviously young, but Kagome couldn't accurately guess his age because she knew so little about kitsune physiology. His eyes were large and watery, a pretty shade of green. That, coupled with the overall softness of his features led Kagome to one conclusion.

"He's so _cute_!"

She leaned down and scooped him up into her arms and cuddled him to her cheek. The little boy was surprised for a moment, but giggled at the attention. This strange lady was soft and gentle, not to mention she smelled nice. He liked her.

"My name's Shippo!" he told her.

"And mine is Kagome," she replied. "And that is Inuyasha, and that is Miroku."

She pointed to each one when she said their name.

"Um…, hey guys?"

Miroku looked up from where he sat, sorting ropes and other supplies they would use once they descended and began their excavation.

"What is it, Kags?"

"Where's Jaken?"

They looked around and Inuyasha spat, "What, the little bastard has gone wandering off again? Stupid toad is going to wind up getting himself into some deep shit if he keeps doing that."

"Inuyasha!"

"What?!"

"You shouldn't curse around children!" Kagome hissed.

"Yeah, Inuyasha," Shippo echoed mockingly, "You shouldn't."

His eyelid twitched. He really had hoped that the kid wasn't going to be some annoying little shit, but maybe that was just too much to ask for. Stretching forth a hand, the inu-hanyou flicked the boy's nose with his claws.

"Don't irritate me, kid. I might be tempted to leave you to those wolves over there," he growled.

The kitsune whimpered and snuggled in closer to Kagome, who was now glaring at Inuyasha.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him. He's just a little boy."

"Feh! Let's go," he huffed, tying the ropes off at the top of the opening and preparing to swing inside. "Oh, and Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"You, um, you might wanna open that thing I gave you," he said, blushing and looking away before dropping neatly inside the buried building.

"Oh."

She had completely forgotten about that after finding Shippo. Now, where had she sat it?

The little kitsune jumped down from her arms and picked the brown leather parcel up off the sand and handed it to her with small, claw-tipped hands.

"Here you go, Kagome," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, Shippo," she replied, ruffling his hair.

It took a bit of tugging, but she managed to open the ties around the package and peeled the main leather back to look inside.

Tools. Small, delicate excavation tools. Kagome pulled a small hammer from where it was looped in the leather and held its weight in her hands. Inuyasha had remembered that all of their equipment had been lost with the boat and had provided her with something new that she could easily use. The gift showed an amount of thought and caring that she hadn't thought him to be capable of, and it brought a strange warmth to her heart.

"Kagome? Are you coming down?" her brother called from within the hole.

"Ah, yes! Yes, I'm coming," she answered. "Come on Shippo, let's go."

The boy fastened himself to her torso as she gripped him and the tool kit in one hand and the rope in another. He though it unwise to say anything about the strange look she had on her face since she opened Inuyasha's gift, and remained quiet even as the two of them slid down into the darkness.

**See? We're progressing. Let me know if the pacing seems too fast or too slow as far as development of the relationships and such. And we finally see Shippo and Sesshomaru~ I know many of you are glad for that. ^^ But we're also left with questions. Where did Jaken toddle off to now? Who was that second person in the other litter? How are the lovebirds going to make it? Stay tuned, and see you in chapter 12~**

**Also, and it may be asking too much, but if you guys could nudge me to over 100 reviews, I may or may not write a little side ficlet set in this universe. ;) Just something to think about. **


	12. Into the Dark

**A/N: LAAAATE~ latelatelate… But at least its here, right? Meh. School has been nuts. Oh, well. I'd like to thank you guys for delivering on the reviews. ^^ You're seriously the very best. Like no one ever was. To capture them is your real test. To train them is your cause~ … Yeah, gonna stop now. Anyway, behold! Answers to the questions left by last chapter! Action-wise this is kinda slow. But I thought it was funny and we have some good interaction. Within the next two things are gonna start to get crazy. And about that mini-fic? I'll get to it when school is over. XP **

**Disclaimer: Do I look like I own multi-million dollar movie/anime franchises? Good. Because I don't. **

The inky blackness surrounded them completely, broken only by the dim sunlight that trickled in through the opening above them. Everything smelled musty and oddly dry, like the bindings of older books.

"Did anyone think to bring a torch?" Miroku asked.

"You were in charge of the supplies, dumbass," Inuyasha growled.

"Hold on, I've got it!" Shippo exclaimed before shouting, "_Fox Fire_!"

A small, teal blue flame floated in the middle of the group. Now that there was a little more light in the room, Kagome walked off to one side and swept cobwebs off another large mirror and adjusted it with a squeak. The light reflecting off of the mirror above shot down to the one below and jumped to the dozen or so mirrors that were strategically placed around the room.

"And then there was light," she half-whispered.

"Nice trick," Inuyasha said, mildly impressed.

"Kagome," Miroku whispered, looking around the room, "Is this what I think it is?"

"My god… It's a Sar-Net-Jer!" she exclaimed.

"It's a what-now?"

The Higurashi brother settled a hand on the hanyou's shoulder.

"It's a preparation room. This, my friend, is where they made the mummies."

"M-m-mummies?!" Shippo whimpered, clinging desperately to Kagome's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Shippo. If there are any mummies here, they've been dead for thousands of years," she reassured.

The room was filled with stone tables, no doubt used as prepping stations for the bodies to be entombed. Everything was in surprisingly good condition, but Kagome supposed that it made sense, considering that everything here was below ground and thus hidden away from the harsh elements. She reached for a torch on the wall and lifted it from its sconce.

"Shippo? Could you light this for me?" she asked.

"Sure thing, Kagome!"

With a little flash of teal blue, the torch began to burn. Fortunately, once it was lit, the fire returned to a more normal yellow-orange that flickered merrily. Following her example, the two men each took a torch of their own and lit it from hers.

"Well then, care to lead the way, Inuyasha?"

"Feh," the hanyou huffed, treading through the darkness and cobwebs, forward through a corridor that smelt of millennium-old dust and mold.

A skittering sound, almost like falling pebbles or trickling water, echoed down and around the walls. Shippo flinched from his seat on the Miko.

"W-what was that?" he warbled.

Inuyasha just shrugged. "Probably just some bugs. Maybe Jaken is finding himself a snack."

Miroku shuddered. "I hate bugs. Fell into a wasps' nest when I was a kid, and never liked anything with six legs ever since. Or eight for that matter. I tried to squish a spider once, only the damn thing was _pregnant_ and all of those thousands of teeny weeny spiders just crawled up my-"

"'Roku!" his sister exclaimed.

"What?"

"Do we really want to talk about your emotionally scarring events with insects right this second? If poor Shippo here gets any more freaked out, I may have little puncture marks from his claws in my shoulder!"

Inuyasha turned his head and rolled his eyes at the crew behind him. "Don't really know why you insisted on bringing the little bugger. Annoying little coward."

"What do you expect, I'm just a kid!" the kitsune whined.

"Shut up."

"Inuya-!"

"No. Shh!" he spat, pausing with his ears twitching forwards and around. "You hear that?"

They all stilled, listening to what should be the quiet of an empty tomb, but was instead an echoing murmur that whispered through the stone walls. The sound wove its way closer, and Inuyasha tensed, thumbing the revolver out of his shoulder holster and cocking it with a surprisingly quiet click. They crept towards the end of the hall, where it turned at a sharp corner to the right. He waited for a moment, poising on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce upon whatever threat awaited them on the other side. Miroku stood ready at his side, his diminutive pistol seeming even smaller in his long-fingered hands. Inuyasha faced him and counted silently.

_One._

_ Two._

_ Three._

"Yah!" they cried, leaping around the corner and coming face to face with-

"Mutt-face?"

…..

Jaken waddled through the shadowy hall, holding up a torch with his small, three-fingered hand. His bug-eyed stare wandered up the walls, tracing the faded, but surprisingly still fairly vibrant, murals. Some of the men depicted had their hands raised to the sky, their mouths open in wordless cries. He peered closer, noticing something sparkling in the firelight on the walls.

Stretching his whole three-and-a-half-foot body upwards, his free hand plucked some shimmering thing off the stone. He turned the object over in his hand. It appeared to be some sort of beetle, like a dung beetle, except with fierce pincers and slightly shorter legs. Jaken's froggy tongue flicked out to taste the surface of the wall decoration.

"Hmm. Blue gold. That'll fetch a fair price, now won't it?"

He plucked a hand few more from their place ensconced in the mural, but, given his height, was unable to reach the rest. Satisfied with his new hoard, he stuffed the trinkets into his pockets and continued forward. The narrow hall opened, leading to a dilapidated walkway that ran along and high above a gushing underground river. The Kappa youkai leaned forward, looking over the edge. Being a rather small creature, such heights made him downright woozy. He gulped, his adam's apple bobbing in his thin neck.

Jaken edged tentatively along the walkway, keeping his back pressed against the wall. His buggy, yellow eyes darted between his feet, the edge of the cavern, and the opening to another corridor at the far end. If his species were capable of sweating, he'd be sopping wet. Slowly he went, creeping step by step to his destination. He scrambled inside the entrance, and turned to face the walk that had given him so much grief. The little green youkai thrust his long, pink tongue out in mocking defiance of his foe, and turned away from it with a mocking laugh.

Unfortunately, Jaken was unaware of a certain phenomena known as "Murphy's Law", by which it is stated, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

What Jaken was suddenly aware of, was the slick surface of a mildew-slimed stone and the forces of gravity pulling his body off the edge of the ledge and toward the rushing waters of the river.

"AAAAAHHH~!" he cried, clenching his eyes tight and flailing his limbs in an attempt to find a solid surface. He fell away from the edge, into the open air above the cavern. The Kappa continued to scream, certain that he was facing the last moments of his life.

"Cease your pathetic cries at once, you foolish creature."

Wait, what?

Jaken opened his right eye, then his left. He was suspended; floating above what he was sure was going to be the cause of his demise. He looked behind him, to the source of the voice, to his savior.

Before the little green toad, holding him by the back of his vest, was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. The being was perfect, each feature achingly lovely, but so cold. This youkai was a marble statue brought to life by the hand of a god. His flowing white hair flickered like a banner in the gust from the rushing water. When some of it brushed Jaken's skin, he thought he would faint from awe.

The magnificent creature arched one eyebrow disdainfully and dropped the Kappa onto the stone before turning oh-so-gracefully and walking away. Jaken scrambled up after, following in his wake.

"Are you alright, mister?" another voice asked.

Jaken turned, seeing a young human woman with long, dark hair and smiling eyes peering down at him with concern. She was an American, and was daring enough to wear men's trousers. His disdain for her immediately tripled what it normally would have been, just for her attire.

"Yes, I'm just fine, thank you! What's it to you, girl?" he spat.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, sticking her hand out for an American handshake. "My name is Rin. Rin Tanaka. I'm Lord Sesshomaru's assistant."

…

Inuyasha snarled, "What the FUCK, wolf-shit?! What's the big idea, creeping through here like some kinda boogey-man? You were liable to scare Miroku here to death!"

Miroku rounded on Inuyasha with a frown. "Now, that's just not true! If they're going to frighten anyone around here, it'd be Kagome!"

"Hey!" she cried indignantly.

"Well, it's true, sis. If I could give you near heart attacks by sneaking up on you in the library, imagine how you'd react to a wolf youkai just popping out of the darkness!"

Seeing that it was only the group that they knew, the wolves relaxed, all four of them lowering their weapons and sighing.

Hakkaku removed his glasses and polished them absently on his sleeve. "I tell you what," he grumbled, "It wasn't just Kagome who had a fright there. This place is creepy."

"I was not scared!" she huffed.

Shippo turned on her shoulder and murmured, "That's ok, Kagome. I'm pretty sure that I was scared enough for the both of us."

The miko smiled at him endearingly. The hanyou coughed something that suspiciously sounded like "wimp".

Ayame tipped her hat back and looked closer at the two, swaggering over to Kagome's side. "Is that a Kitsune kit?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kagome replied, "his name is Shippo."

"Can… Can I-" the redhead asked haltingly, blushing slightly, "Can I hold him?"

The miko looked up at her charge, asking his permission. When he shrugged, she plucked him off her shoulder and into the arms of the she-wolf, who soon started cooing at how fluffy his tail was and how his little paws were just the _cutest _things she _ever_ did see.

Koga rolled his eyes at the display, but chose to ignore it in favor of frowning at Inuyasha. "What are you guys even doing here?" he asked.

"Um…" the hanyou paused. "Miroku, what the hell _are_ we doing here?"

The Higurashi brother's purple eyes lit strangely, and Inuyasha began to wonder at the what he may have unleashed.

"We are here," Miroku said, "to increase the knowledge of the past, for the good of mankind, for the prosperity of future generations. Through the knowledge of the past, through the mistakes of the past, we can invent a new future, one founded on new principles. Principles of honor, principles of justice. We come, not to increase our own material wealth, but to add to the wealth of information that the whole of man can draw from. For we are explorers, traversing the new worlds of times gone by. And-"

"What?" Inuyasha cut him off, mid-rant. "Seriously. Just. What?"

Looking about him, Miroku realized that his little speech had garnered him several looks of confusion, some of boredom, and some of a little trepidation. He sighed.

"To collect artifacts, sell them to museums, get rich, and pick up women. Or, in my sister's case, to increase her credentials and get into some society for spinsters."

"Do not compare the Grand Sisterhood of Mikos to a knitting group or a bridge club, Miroku! They are the most-"

"Esteemed women in blabidy blah blah blah."

She shot him a dry look. "Just for that, I think I'll tell mother _exactly_ how many towns you're banned from because of your philandering."

Miroku looked offended. "I do not philander. I just… touch."

Ayame, who until this point remained wrapped up in the cuteness of one certain kitsune, yelped and leapt into the air because something, or rather someone, had just grabbed her ass. She shortly handed Shippo back to Kagome and grabbed the all too smug looking Miroku by his shirt collar.

"Oh, I am gonna-"

"Enough."

The she-wolf turned, snarling, but came up short when she realized that it was none other than Sesshomaru who had come upon them. The rest of the wolves followed her example and took submissive postures, averting their eyes while leaving their necks unguarded. The dog taiyoukai turned, looking at what everyone else in the room had not cared to acknowledge. Outside, there was a statue of a man with the head of a Jackal, and time had sunk most of his body beneath the sands. Here, in this chamber, were his feet perched on top of a rectangular dais. A clawed, white hand with magenta striped-wrists settled on the black-stained stone of the statue's leg.

"I do believe that this is my excavation site, little brother."

**Awww, yeah~ Cliffhanger. Kinda. Anyways, I know you were all wanting to see Sango, and I promise she IS COMING! So fear not, taijiya fans! Your fearless leader in the black and pink catsuit with her two-tailed friend is on her way! Also, some of you wanted Rin, and here she is! Did any of you see this one coming? Tell me what you think! Anything you think needs improvement or if there's something you're curious about, just leave a review! ^^**


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